Etymological World Capitals Trivia Quiz

Answer: Paris

Paris is named after the Parisii tribe of Celtics who lived along the Seine River during the Iron Age. The Parisii were somewhat advanced for their time. They minted their own coins, for instance. When the Romans invaded, the Parisii burned their cities and towns to the ground rather than have them conquered.

Answer: Cairo

Cairo received its English name from the Arabic phrase "al-Qahirah" which means "The conqueror". It earned that named because, according to legend, the city was founded while Mars was appearing in the night sky. In Arabic, Mars is called the Conquering Star.

Answer: Beijing

Beijing means "northern capital" in Chinese. The city was originally given this name during the Ming Dynasty in 1403. Since then, the city went through many name changes including being called Peking and Jingshi before returning to Beijing in the mid 20th century. The Chinese city called Nanjing has a name that means "southern capital".

Answer: Wellington

New Zealand's capital of Wellington is named after Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. The city was named Wellington because some its first settlers were from Wellington and wanted to honor both the general and their hometown. The Duke never visited Wellington as it was founded toward the end of his life.

Answer: Lima

Lima gets its name from the Quechua word "limaq' which means "talker" or "speaker". The Incas believed in an oracle who once lived in the city. Incas would come from all over the empire to see the oracle. Another possibility for the origin of the word "limaq" is that it refers to a river in Lima with rapids that make sounds like someone speaking.

Answer: Ottawa

Ottawa comes from the Ojibwe word "odaawaa" meaning traders. Before the arrival of Europeans in the area, Native American traders would meet in and around what is now Ottawa (and other places). The area became well known for its trading posts and the name stuck.

Answer: Stockholm

Stockholm comes from the Swedish words "stock' and "holme" which mean "log" and "islet" respectively. The name came about from the way people in the city would protect it from invaders. Logs were often placed offshore to prevent invading ships from docking in the city.

Answer: Athens

Athens is named after Athena, the goddess of wisdom who won the city from Poseidon. According to legend, Athena and Poseidon competed for patronage of the city and who gave its residents the best gift, would receive the city. Poseidon gave them a water well while Athena's olive tree was declared the best gift by King Cecrops.

Answer: Pretoria

Pretoria is named after Andries Pretorius, a Boer who helped consolidate South African colonies to form the South African Republic. Today, the South African Republic is approximately the northwestern part of South Africa. Pretoria is one of three capitals of South Africa. It is the executive capital. Cape Town is the legislative capital and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.

Answer: Manila

Manila is a Spanish corruption of the Filipino word "maynila" which means "where indigo is found". Indigo is a blueish/purplish dye made from plants. For centuries, indigo was considered an extremely valuable cash crop. Today, it is still a valuable commodity and is used in making blue jeans.